Jim Harbaugh spoke on a conference call this afternoon.
Here’s what Harbaugh said about Frank Gore: “He wasn’t wearing a boot. In my mind he’s good to go. We’ll play him, and scheme, and prepare him for this game.”
Here’s What Harbaugh said about Kendall Hunter: “I think he did very well, graded out very well. He made some tough runs, including the touchdown run. Caught a pass, got a first down and did some very good things.”
Here’s what else Harbaugh said.
HARBAUGH: It was a physical football game on both sides. Yards were coming hard and tough. And our defense made it that way for Cincinnati. It was an outstanding performance by our defense. I thought it was a real gem that our defense turned in. On many occasions, especially the sudden change in situations where we turned the ball over in the red zone and our defense holds them to a field goal. Even the first drive of the game when Cincinnati drives 75 yards to our five yard line. First and five and our defense rises up and holds them to a field goal there. Tremendous play by Ahmad Brooks. Ahmad made all three of those plays including the first down three-yard loss. He beat the tight end to make the tackle in the backfield. And then on the third down play, he chases down the quarterback from the backside. Great hustle play. Gets the hurry. Defuses that play. And then the big plays defensively with the turnovers. Carlos Rogers. Big interception in the fourth quarter. Also the touchdown saving tackle he made. Big pick by Reggie. A phenomenal job of breaking on the ball and getting his hands underneath the football. I’ve been involved when our side makes a play like that. It goes to review and invariably the review shows that the ball hit the ground, but he did a great job of catching that ball clean.
Q: Chilo Rachal. Is consistency an issue with him? You praised him in training camp for what he was doing there. Is he the type of player who has a couple of good plays and then a couple of bad plays?
HARBAUGH: For me it’s more of a team, it’s more of a unit thing. I know you like to pick out guys and point things out. I choose to look at how we can improve as a unit, and consistency is something for our entire offense. We’re working hard to get more consistent.
Q: Rachal was a guy who was taken out of the game, and in the second half he played sparingly, so that’s why we’re asking about him.
HARBAUGH: I feel like I’ve answered the question.
Q: You guys used Isaac Sopoaga for the first time as a fullback. What did you see in him that made you think he would be a good fit in a short yardage situation?
HARBAUGH: We were looking for a guy like that. We’ve worked Soap a few times in training camp. It was going on early in the season. After Moran went down, amped it up this week. And just thought he had the physicality, the athleticism to have a role on offense. There have been some suggestions from the players. With his rugby background. Get him in there, I’ve heard and seen him display the athleticism out on the football field doing some offensive things. It was good. He did a good job. I think he was excited to be doing it. He got in there and fulfilled his assignment and then some. I was very pleased with the few plays he was in the ball game.
Q: What about Bruce Miller? How is his blocking and receiving?
HARBAUGH: There’s a learning curve there. Bruce started his first game and saw extensive playing time at the fullback position. Did some things very well. We’ll look to rep those and expand on those. Also, in terms of where he can improve, be specific with him. He’s very motivated to do it. He’s got the right mindset, temperament to want to get better. First time out he did some good things. Caught the football out of the backfield. Was not afraid of contact. Was on his assignment. Technique, running his feet, angles, those are all things I think he’ll get better and better at as he plays the position more.
Q: Have you seen a definitive replay of Crabtree’s illegal touch touchdown? And did you make a report with the NFL regarding that?
HARBAUGH: It will be noted in our report, yes. Definitive? No, I have not seen a definitive angle other than the coaches’ video that we watched.
Q: Did it give you a clue either way?
HARBAUGH: Yeah. From the look of it it looked like he was in bounds and never stepped out of bounds. That’s what it looks like from our coaches’ video. It looked like a heck of a play. It was a fantastic play by Michael. It was a fantastic play by Alex. A part of the game where that touchdown was big and important. Would have loved to have seen it stick because they both deserved it. From what I’ve seen on the tape it sure looks that way. I could be wrong and there’s an angle where the official saw something that I don’t see, but we have not gotten a report back yet as far as it concerns from the league.
Q: Will Rachal start against the eagles?
HARBAUGH: That’s to be determined. There’s a competition there.
Q: Have you talked to the league regarding any hits on Alex Smith going uncalled?
HARBAUGH: We’ve turned a few in and gotten reports back.
Q: Were you satisfied with the answers?
HARBAUGH: Yes, I’ve been satisfied with the answers.
Q: How much do you prepare for Kafka this week? Do you prepare for both QBs, him and Vick?
HARBAUGH: We have to be prepared for both, and Vince Young as well.
Q: What does the Cincinnati win do for the team you’re building?
HARBAUGH: I think it’s a very positive thing like I pointed out earlier. Young football team goes on the road and plays a good football team. Tough, hard physical game. Shows a real level of tenacity and mental toughness. I think it’s a real good thing in terms of a character building process for our team. And I thought our defense, especially when our offense was patient, hung in there and got the job done when it needed to and had to. I think that’s fantastic. And also just the mentality of our defense. You pack your defense for the road games. Came in with the mentality that they were going to get stop after stop after stop. They expected it and they got it done. I think all those things are very good for us.
Q: Did the secondary need that boost to get their confidence back?
HARBAUGH: I think we’ve got confident guys in our secondary. I didn’t see any signs that our guys were hanging their chins down. They’re confident, strong, mighty guys. They stepped up and made big plays and that’s what they’re capable of doing. That does show a lot of mental toughness and character. It was good. There’s times when you’re struggling in the game for points or yardage and one side of the ball can be like, what’s going on here? Are we ever going to score any points? You get finger pointing and that never occurred. I never saw our team lose confidence or trust in either side of the ball.
Q: When Reggie Smith had that interception it looked like you were encouraging him to run. Some coaches in that situation would want the guy to fall on it. What was your thinking?
HARBAUGH: To get down.
Q: It looked like you were telling him to keep running, but you wanted him down?
HARBAUGH: Yeah I might have, I might have. I saw him get the ball and then get up and my first initial thought was go go go nobody tackled you. But as soon as I realized, get down get down. He did a great job protecting the ball, and I think that’s somebody’s first instinct. I think the same thing probably went through his mind. Realized the situation. Thought fast, reacted fast, and then he was getting down. Also let’s talk about David Akers a little bit. Seven for seven on field goals right now. Hitting the big 53-yarder in the game, and I was told that was his 300th made field goal of his NFL career. Heck of a job.
Q: What do you have planned for tomorrow?
HARBAUGH: Prepare for the Eagles. Today, tomorrow. Coaches will be game planning and watching the tape and getting the game plan prepared for our players.
Q: Have you advised them on things they should or shouldn’t do tomorrow?
HARBAUGH: Yeah we’ve talked. We’ve talked, yes. It’s not a vacation for us in terms of where to go, sightseeing or anything like that. We’re focused on the football game.
Q: Do you have any weather contingencies for practice?
HARBAUGH: We’ll practice at Youngstown state and there’s an indoor facility at Youngstown state as well.
Q: Can you talk about how Vernon Davis responded to getting more involved in the offense?
HARBAUGH: I thought Vernon performed very well. Had some more opportunities – balls coming his way. Like I said last week, Vernon’s always involved in the offense. A huge part of the offense. Responded well, though.
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